BUZZ
Students can start information technology and bioinformatics degrees this fall
College students in Louisiana will have new options to graduate college with 90 credits instead of the standard 120 credits, following a decision this week by the board of regents.
Louisiana State University’s Alexandria campus will start by offering two “accelerated bachelor’s degrees,” one in information technology and another in bioinformatics, according to The New Orleans Advocate.
Students will have fewer elective requirements, which will allow them to graduate faster.
“Students can get to work a year faster,” Liz Beard said. She is the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at LSU at Alexandria.
Beard called the new plan “cost saving” and said it is “respectful of our students and our graduates’ time and the commitment it takes to be a full-time student.”
Other university leaders said the options are worth considering.
“This is something that is being looked at all over the country, and some places have already adopted it,” University of Louisiana System President Rick Gallot said, as reported by NOLA.com. “I do think as higher ed evolves, we have to be flexible enough to embrace new technology, new ways of doing things.”
Nathan Sammons, dean of STEM at LSU-Alexandria, said the new degrees are part of a “higher ed toolbox.”
“There will always be a place for two-year degrees, I think there will always be a place for four-year degrees,” Sammons said. “But there’s been a place for three-year degrees for a while now, especially in industries that are rapidly shifting and as technology shifts with it.”
The two new degrees will tentatively start this upcoming fall, according to NOLA.com.
Louisiana is not alone in exploring shortened or expedited degrees.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt asked state education officials to study the possibility of a three-year degree.
“Here in Oklahoma, we want to deliver higher education that meets workforce needs and keeps our talent at home,” Stitt stated in a news release.
That announcement drew mixed reactions, as The College Fix reported. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni said it hopes “excess electives” can be eliminated and education will be improved.
Jennifer Frey, a professor of philosophy at the University of Tulsa, told The College Fix that the shorter pathway appears to be “an attempt to remove general education requirements.”
“I believe that we should fix general education rather than give up on it altogether,” she said.
Public universities in North Dakota can also now pilot three-year degrees, The Fix reported in February.
Purdue University in Indiana also offers a “Degree in 3″ program that offers an accelerated path to graduation, although it requires a summer course load.
